Jefferson and Hamilton on
Andrew Jackson was elected by the people and sought to act as the direct representative of the common man. Through his determination, Jackson helped to shape the democratic party as the prototype of the modern political organization. In Andrew Jackson's presidential inauguration speech of 1829 Jackson foreshadowed his triumphs in office, stating that: "The Federal Constitution must be obeyed, states rights preserved, our national debt must be paid, direct taxes and loans avoided, and the Federal Union preserved. These are the objects I have in view, and regardless of all consequences, will carry into effect." Jackson's first modification in office was rewarding his political supporters with office positions, forming a cabinet of close friends and family who became known as the Kitchen Cabinet. This concept of rewarding political supporters with public office positions had existed since the founding of the republic. However, Jackson stretched this system and made it a policy of his administration to prevent the growth of an entrenched bureaucracy. Jackson replaced several experienced political veterans with his own democratic followers in what he called "rotation in office." In 1832, Senator William L. Marcy of New York,
The stabilization of the national debt was prompted by the veto of the Maysville Road Bill. Jackson was opposed to the rising number of bills before Congress that proposed to finance internal improvements with public money. This bill authorized the use of federal funds to construct a road between the towns of Maysville and Lexington, both in Kentucky. Jackson vetoed the bill, calling it unconstitutional because it concerned only the state of Kentucky. The Maysville Road Bill gave him the opportunity to make his opposition clear. Ironically so, both Hamilton and Jefferson provided funding for the national road. Hamilton saw the internal improvements as a national cause which would help connect and unite the country through communication and trade. The concept of internal improvements commenced under Hamilton's leadership and therefore he fully supported the use of government funds towards the road. Jefferson was an advocate for change, thus a supporter of internal improvements. On the other hand, Jefferson attempted to improve the economic state of the United States with the Embargo Act, which inadvertently hurt the collection of revenue and increased the national debt. He misread the demands on the United States as a trading partner and lost a significant amount of money. However, it was an honest attempt for improvement of the debt, hence he would have supported Jackson's reasoning to preserve the limited funds behind the government in vetoing the Maysville Road Bill. defended Jackson and the rule that "to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy." Thus, the rotation in office was renamed the spoils system. Jackson's desire for a rotation in office can be paralleled to Jefferson's conflict with the judiciary system during his first term in office. Jefferson and the Republican
Some common words found in the essay are:
Proclamation Neutrality, Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton Jefferson, Whiskey Rebellion, Kitchen Cabinet, Embargo Act, Bill Jackson, Marcy York, Federal Union, Andrew Jackson, national debt, internal improvements, rotation office, office positions, maysville road, south carolina, maysville road bill, federal laws, road bill, federal union preserved, judiciary system, rewarding political, road bill jackson, rewarding political supporters,
Approximate Word count = 1213
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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